medicinal plant

Sphenocentrum jollyanum is a medicinal plant widely employed in West African ethnomedicine for the management of diabetes mellitus and chronic wounds, yet the specific bioactive constituents responsible for its therapeutic efficacy remain insufficiently
characterized. The aim of this study was to profile the phytochemical composition of the root extract to identify bioactive compounds validating its traditional antidiabetic use. The research involved the collection and preparation of root samples, followed by solvent extraction and subsequent analysis using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to separate and identify volatile components based on their retention times, peak areas, and mass spectral fragmentation patterns. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of distinct bioactive compounds, with carbohydrate derivatives and glycosides being the most dominant
class. Specifically, Inositol, 1-deoxy- was identified as the major constituent, accounting for 43.45% of the total extract, followed by alpha-Methyl Mannofuranoside (3.79%) and the antioxidant D-alpha-Tocopherol (1.13%). The substantial concentration of inositol derivatives, which are known mediators of insulin signal transduction, alongside potent antioxidant agents, scientifically substantiates the traditional application of Sphenocentrum jollyanum in the management of diabetes and oxidative stress-related disorders.

Diabetes mellitus represents a major global health challenge, with over 800 million adults affected worldwide and limited therapeutic options, particularly in resource-constrained settings. This study investigated the in vitro antidiabetic properties of crude ethanol extract and solvent fractions of roots of Tetracera alnifolia, a medicinal plant traditionally used for managing diabetes in West Africa particularly Nigeria. The aim was to evaluate the alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the plant extracts and fractions, and to determine their potential as natural antidiabetic agents. The roots of T. alnifolia were cut, dried, pulverized and extracted using ethanol. The crude extract was subsequently fractionated using solvents of increasing polarity (n-hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, n-butanol, and water). Enzyme inhibition assays were performed using standard methods, with acarbose as the control. The IC₅₀ values were calculated to determine inhibitory potency. Results showed that the crude extract exhibited remarkable alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.10 mg/mL), approximately 9-fold more than the IC₅₀ of acarbose (IC₅₀ = 0.93 mg/mL). For alpha-amylase inhibition, the crude extract (IC₅₀ = 0.68 mg/mL) was less than that of acarbose (IC₅₀ = 0.46 mg/mL). All solvent fractions similarly outperformed acarbose in alpha-glucosidase inhibition, with the n-hexane fraction showing the strongest activity (IC₅₀ = 0.19 mg/mL). The superior performance of the crude extract over individual fractions provided compelling evidence for synergistic interactions among multiple phytochemical constituents. The differential selectivity potent alpha-glucosidase inhibition with moderate alpha-amylase inhibition represents an ideal therapeutic profile that may offer a better postprandial glucose control. The study concludes that T. alnifolia possesses antidiabetic potential in vitro and this may be responsible for its hypoglycemic property in treatment of diabetes in traditional medicine. Therefore, further investigation through in vivo studies, phytochemical characterization, and determination of bioactive agent for potential development as a natural antidiabetic therapeutic.